Religion News: Top 10 stories of 2011

Thursday

Dec 22, 2011 at 12:01 AMDec 22, 2011 at 9:13 PM

Weekly Religion News with the top religion stories of 2011, "A Christmas Wedding" by James Patterson and more.

The death of Osama bin Laden — which spurred discussions among people of faith on issues of forgiveness, peace, justice and retribution –– was voted the No. 1 religion story of 2011 by the nation's leading religion journalists.

The 2011 survey from the Religion Newswriters Association marks the 30th year the professional organization of religion beat specialists has conducted the poll.

The complete top 10 religion stories of 2011, in order from first to tenth are:

1. The death of Osama bin Laden spurs discussions among people of faith on issues of forgiveness, peace, justice and retribution.

2. Lively congressional hearings are held on the civil rights of American Muslims. In the House, hearings focus on alleged radicalism and, in the Senate, hearings focus on crimes reported against Muslims.

3. Catholic Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City, Mo., is charged with failure to report the suspected abuse of a child, becoming the first active bishop in the country to face criminal prosecution in such a case.

4. The Catholic Church introduces a new translation of the Roman Missal throughout the English-speaking world, making the first significant change to a liturgy since 1973.

5. Presbyterian Church (USA) allows local option on ordination of partnered gay people. Church defections over the issue continue among mainline Presbyterians, Lutherans and Episcopalians.

6. Pope John Paul II is beatified –– the last step before sainthood –– in a May ceremony attended by more than 1 million people in Rome.

7. California evangelist Harold Camping attracts attention with his predictions that the world would end in May, and again in October.

8. A book by Michigan mega-church pastor Rob Bell, "Love Wins," presenting a much less harsh picture of hell than is traditional, stirs discussion in evangelical circles. Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention rebut it.

9. The Personhood Initiative, designed to outlaw abortion by declaring a fetus a person, fails on election day in Mississippi, but advocates plan to try in other states. Meanwhile, reports show the number of restrictions adopted throughout the country against abortion during the year is far greater than in any previous year.

10. Bible translations make news, with celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the King James Version; criticism, notably by Southern Baptists, about gender usage in the newest New International Version; and completion of the Common English Bible.

-- Religion News Service

Week in Religion

Dec. 22, 1921,the first U.S. commercial radio license assigned to a religious broadcaster was awarded to the National Presbyterian Church of Washington, D.C.

Dec. 23, 1648,birth of Robert Barclay, Scottish Quaker theologian. He published his most famous work, "An Apology for the True Christian Divinity," in 1676, making him the most prominent theologian in the early Quaker Church.

Dec. 24, 1951, "Amahl and the Night Visitors," a Christmas musical, had its TV debut. Written by composer Gian Carlo Menotti, it was the first musical to be broadcast over television.

-- William D. Blake, Almanac of the Christian Church

Survey Says

A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 2.18 billion Christians of all ages around the world, representing nearly a third of the estimated 2010 global population of 6.9 billion.

-- Pew Research Center

Good Book?

“A Christmas Wedding” by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding. Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby's four children have drifted apart, each consumed by the turbulence of their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together since their father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married—and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day—she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays.

-- Little, Brown & Company

Quote of the week

“Rejoice, that the immortal God is born, so that mortal man may live in eternity.” – John Huss (1369-1415)

The Word

Menorah: Typically, a seven-stick candelabra used in synagogues. A seven-branched menorah is believed to have been in the original Jerusalem Temple. During Hanukkah, a nine-candle menorah called a “hanukkiah” is used to represent the eight nights of the holiday, with the ninth candle lighting all the others.

-- religionstylebook.com

Religion Around the World

Religious makeup of Finland (2006)

Lutheran Church of Finland: 82.5 percent

Orthodox Church: 1.1 percent

Other Christian: 1.1 percent

Other: 0.1 percent

None: 15.1 percent

- CIA Factbook

GateHouse News Service

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